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2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

47 Ranked Colleges
1,683 Degrees Awarded
$7,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 14,123 people earned their degree in physics, making the major the 67th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, physics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $42,475 and had an average of $22,421 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 3,784 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,070 and $20,138 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,683 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 47 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physics. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great physics programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the physics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Stanford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $1,145 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at Stanford University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 207 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, UW Seattle has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $7,467 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read full report on Physics at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 135 students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $9,130 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at UC Berkeley

#4

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 47 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #4 spot on the list. Caltech is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 34 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Caltech has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Caltech is $3,756 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Physics at California Institute of Technology

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $2,117 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at California State University - Los Angeles

#6

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 64 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $9,254 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at UCLA

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 38 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCR has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,151 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCR.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Physics at UCR

#18 in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $6,100 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Physics at Cal State Fullerton

#9

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 161 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $11,895 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Physics at University of California - Santa Barbara

California State University - Long Beach came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 53 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, CSULB has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $7,595 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Physics Report

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $10,373 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Physics at UC Irvine

University of California - San Diego came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $9,974 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSD.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physics at University of California - San Diego

California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large school located in Carson, California that handed out 4 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,115 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUDH.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Physics Report

With a ranking of #14, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 46 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $10,769 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Davis Physics Report

#15

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#21 in overall quality

San Diego State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #21. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $10,594 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Physics at SDSU

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. CSUB is a fairly large public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 5 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,880 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSUB.

Read more about Physics at CSUB

California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. This fairly large school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, CSUSM has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $10,347 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - San Marcos.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at CSUSM

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

Sac State also took the #23 spot in our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $7,823 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at California State University - Sacramento

#19

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #19, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $5,869 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full CSUSB Physics Report

California State University - Stanislaus ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school handed out 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $3,958 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Physics at California State University - Stanislaus

#21

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Physics Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $11,793 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Physics at University of California - Santa Cruz

#22

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Washington State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Pullman, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s physics degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Wazzu is $11,337 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Washington State University Physics Report

#23

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. Eastern Washington University is located in Cheney, Washington and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Washington University is $8,821 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Eastern Washington University Physics Report

University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is located in Las Vegas, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s physics degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $9,880 for far western us region bachelor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UNLV.

Read full report on Physics at UNLV

California State University - Fresno landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s physics students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $3,731 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Fresno State Physics Report

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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